Civicnoobie

I could be wrong but almost certain theres no DRLs on these cars, bit surprised. I mean a bulb inside the main headlight section running as your DRL when you undo the ebrake. So if anyone just leaves as is and doesnt put HID in, they will not have DRLs turn on when you undo the ebrake.

Does anyone here not run DRLs? Dont you miss it in some situations like say during dusk or semi light areas/times of the day?

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

Canadian models have DRL's stock.

I just turn my parking lights on when I need them.

Civicnoobie

When you say parking lights, do you mean the round one in the center? Those are useless for light cause of the orange reflector lol. Pretty much very minimal light output.

Dont you find it awkward having no light turn on from the main headlight area in the daytime?

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

parking lights: first click of the headlight switch.

I've never had DRLs and I have no issues not having 'em. If I feel frisky, I'll turn on my headlights.

If you're contemplating having DRLs and HIDs, don't do it.

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

^ haha a man on the edge.

Yes the round one in the center. There purpose is so that other people can see you, not to give you light onto the road, that's what headlights are for.

I don't feel funny at all not having them. I don't even mind turning on my headlights for myself.

drhawkinz

No because it's daytime, I can see perfectly fine. I just turn on the parking lights so other cars see me during dusk/dawn.

I'm thinking about putting an amber bulb in the middle housing and wiring it into the parking lights. Seems dumb to me they made the headlamp with that bulb when it rarely gets used.

Civicnoobie

Why not? I already have them in. Though right now, I just put in a brand new set of HID bulbs to replace my old 3.5yr old set. But stupid me, i didnt notice until i had one bulb in that it doesnt have a halogen bulb screwed onto the housing as well to use as High and DRLs. My old set had this, it was nice. Had the HID bulb for low beams and a halogen screwed right next to it to use as DRLs. So whenever i undo the ebrake, the halogen comes on in the main headlight area.

Even though im not a fan of how halogens look (very yellowy), it was nice to have some light so other drivers can see you in the day. My preference would be to have LED running in my main headlight area as DRLs but i have yet to find a place who sells the bulbs to wire onto the HID lamp. I know i can do HID but i wouldnt do that because its overkill on a sunny day plus all the on/off switches is not good for the bulb and will call for replacement much more often.

I might switch them out and put in another set of the same bulbs i just had, with the halogen bulb on as well. Ill see. Im going the next few days to see how i like having no DRLs in the main headlight area. Its NOT illegal in Canada to NOT have DRLs on all times, but most here have them on in the day. I see quite a few who dont too.

Oh I never thought the parking light as that noticable even from close up, its so small. In Canada, most use their DRLs so others can see them.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

technically, no.
The DRL's are made to use the high beams, but at half the power, so it is aiming higher than the low beams, but does not blind the drivers on the opposite side since they are not at full power.

aftermarket DRL units, like the AMSAR (I think that was the name) that i installed during my year in Canada, keep them at full power, so they are not recommended for the headlights, rather, the fog lights. since i did not have fog lights, i put them on the parking lights, but wired also the halos. seem like they were bright enough to pass inspection inside the inspection building.

DRL's with HID's, well, aside from the technical side of making it work with the ballast and all, *could* blind the other drivers even at half power on the high beams, if that even works?

ezone

Unless I'm mistaken:
Due to arc discharge design, an HID can only be ON or OFF.
You either will or won't strike an arc at half power....and might toast the ballast at half power.

There's other ways around this though.

Poopies

iTrader: (4)

I use my parking lights as DRLs when I feel the need to show off my LED halos. I put a couple of those super bright LED lights designed for the interior spotlights into my parking light sockets... they work great! Definitely not bright enough to navigate faster than 2MPH but still a lot more noticeable than stock halogens.

kinakoes2

I endorse use of DRLs, being a long-time motorcyclist. If you can get something that doesn't use tons of charging output to make you more conspicuous... why not.

Poopies knows this: in the Seattle area (esp on the Kitsap side) the conifer trees are like light vacuums -- not much sunlight up there so the trees learned how to suck up every freakin' photon. Thus when driving at dusk or night there, a regular halogen's output gets swallowed by the 60-ft trees for miles on both sides of the road; only the road gets lit. Unless you throw more light out, that's all you'll see. Add constant drizzle/snow/sleet to the equation... and for a rider it can be the difference between avoiding a deadhead in the road... and being the deadhead in the road.

That said, I don't think I'll add a mod to give my ES2 DRLs, just because I think as much battery potential as possible should go to ignition. I'll just turn on my parking lights in low-light conditions. Old enough to remember when both new bikes and new Civics had carbs, so not real put out switching on my own parking lamps.

Besides, if angel eyes can be wired in the Morimoto HID kits to replace or run parallel to the amber parking lights in a '04-'05... that's the plan.

Civicnoobie

Interesting, I always thought DRLs make a car more noticable by other oncoming drivers even with the sun. Many say that its shown to reduce accdicents.

I guess most in the U.S have no DRLs in the day?

drhawkinz

The only time my DRL lights come on is when I have the lights turned on and pull the parking brake. Either they aren't DRLs or I have a relay burned out somewhere.

ezone

Honda didn't begin using DRLs in USA market cars until 2006.


I'm not real sure they are mandated by law here, even though it seems all new cars have them now. Too lazy to research the correct answer.

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

no, they are not mandated in US

rather, i see a lot of people driving at night with DRL's, the cars that dont have light sensors... so the tail lights are OFF!!!

kinakoes2

IIRC GM was one of the first factories to implement DRLs across their range (maybe BMW too? Can't remember if angel eyes=DRLs on the '90s cars). Basically it turned on low-wattage filaments whenever the key was ON, much like a USDM motorcycle's headlamp (which I shudder to imagine the carnage if we in the US were to adopt a Euro-style separate switch for headlamps -- I catch people in broad daylight nearly bogart me from a side road every weekend).

So @Civicnoobie, it does aid in daytime conspicuity, as I haven't had a street accident since 1992, so it must work... though I figure my own paranoia and practice with situ-awareness has a lot to do with that too.

@sdaidolji: hustling along on a sportbike on a treelined mountain road, and coming around a corner into a dawdler with no taillamps, in dusk conditions... is nightmare fuel. Hope that's never a Honda driver!

crxmanpat

iTrader: (1)

^^ This....

...is why I hate DRLs. Especially on the cars that don't have light sensors for auto headlights. I live near dozens of "retirement communities" here in AZ. These old people tick me off driving around with no taillights at night because they see the beams from their DRLs and think their lights are on.

I drive with my headlights on AT ALL TIMES! It's simply safer that way, especially with all these old people around. Bulbs are cheap. Also, I keep my lenses clean and clear with Mother's Headlight Restore. That ish is the cat's ***!

Oh, and the general rule (and in most states is the law), you should use your headlights from a half hour before sunset until a half hour after sunrise. I see so many cars driving around at dusk and dawn without headlights. People, you are HARD TO SEE during these times without headlights on.

kinakoes2

Truth. When I lived on Camelback I'd cringe if I had to meet anyone close to the Sun City part of that town... trouble is a lot of the old-timers have their vehicle purchased for them, so aren't aware of modern features (and often either flat don't want to, or can't, in the case of mild senility). Even without the constant smothering LEO presence there, I avoided that area like the plague unless it was passing through on the 101...

I'm generally against automating something as basic as a headlight switch, though. If you can't figure out why you shouldn't have your headlamps on at dusk, you need to retake your license test... at dusk, in the rain. Then again, this is coming from a 20 yrs+ motorcyclist.

crxmanpat

iTrader: (1)

Oh yeah, I forgot (as it rains so seldom here). If you are not running with lights on when it's raining out, you're inviting trouble.

Poopies

iTrader: (4)

Hah, yeah in the PHX valley you can pretty much count on hearing sirens within 5 minutes of a shower!

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

Seems like the DRL are more dangerous then not sometimes..I notice this as well..

My fogs are wired up by themself and are always on..Ghetto DRLs..

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

Lol I use my fogs as turn signals

kinakoes2

crxmanpat can vouch for this one: the reason people smash their brains out in Phx is threefold...

1) because the summer temps melt the asphalt into this glassy, greasy mess (great for a year-round cycle-riding town );

2) the residents are so used to week after week of blazing sun that a monsoon shower really shows how little wet-weather driving they remember; and

3) people in any Metro Phx community (except Sun City maybe) drive like 20 - 30 over the limit on surface streets, seriously. There is no town I've lived in where I've come so close to being T-boned on my green, than Peoria next to Metrocenter, and 32nd and McDowell. Lethal redrunners... DRLs or not, if it's your turn, you're going down.

Civicnoobie

When you put in new HID bulbs, is it normal to not have to realign the beam? I put in new HID bulbs and was all set to adjust the height of the light output and i was shocked when it didnt need it. It seemed to have kept the same adjustments from my old set.

PS. I have DRLs in my main headlights.

ezone

If you remove a headlight bulb and replace it with an exact matching bulb, no adjustment should be needed.

Civicnoobie

Oh interesting. Thanks. Always thought it had to be adjusted each time you put in a new bulb. Good to know.

ezone

You'd have to install it correctly though.
There are some people that just can't get that accomplished.

Wouldn't you just give it a drive and see if the beam still shines on the road at night, before screwing with adjustments?

Civicnoobie

Thats what I did, took it for a drive at night and the lights were the same so I didnt bother tinkering with adjustments

When I had my very first pair of bulbs replaced (when i very first got the car, before i even put in HID kit), the guy literally took over 2 hours just swapping out the bulbs! He was confused by the metal piece that clips onto the back of the bulb to hold it in place. He couldnt figure it out even after i told him that the metal piece is to hold the bulb in place. It took him forever to put it back on after! For the driver side, he even took out the battery to get more room. The passenger side he wanted to take the headlight out, but i kept telling him dont cause you have to remove the whole bumper first. He wouldnt listen, so he tried and the headlight wouldnt budge. Gee wonder why. what did I just say. I cant believe this moron work on cars electrical. He kept telling me that Hondas are the worst to work on because theres no space.

ezone

That says a lot.

That says a lot.

That says a lot.


That says a lot.


That says a lot.


Nice try. Helluvanexcuse.